Illegal overstayers who can meet all the below requirements will be allowed to voluntarily return to their home countries without being deported or detained. 1. You appear voluntarily at an Immigration office with the intention to depart from Japan immediately. 2. You do not come under any of the grounds for deportation other than overstaying. 3. You have not been sentenced or imprisoned due to any crimes committed in Japan. 4. You have no past record of deportation, or of departures by departure order. 5. You are expected with certainty to leave Japan immediately.

Eight immigration offices in Japan (Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Takamatsu and Fukuoka) will recognize this procedure. Affected people are required to bring their passport and alien registration card, etc. If the person does not have a passport, they can obtain a substitute certificate at their embassy.

Affected people are then required to appear at the Immigration office to obtain a confirmation document. The investigation takes two to three weeks and applicants can leave Japan if nothing more damaging is discovered. As opposed to the previous regulations, applicants may be allowed back into Japan after only one year instead of the usual five years.